Apparatus and method for producing a frozen novelty

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for forming composite ice cream-like edible novelties having discrete doughy additions therein. The apparatus includes a main die having an entrance and an exit disposed downstream of the entrance and at least one intermediate die positioned within the main die at a location upstream of the exit of the main die. An ice cream-like composition is introduced to the entrance of the main die in at least a semi-frozen state. A doughy addition supply system is also included such that a stream splitter divides a single doughy addition stream into equal streams, each supplying the intermediate die with the doughy addition at an elevated temperature and at equal rates. The ice cream-like composition and the discrete doughy addition are extruded together through the exit of the main die to form the composite ice cream-like edible novelty.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 08/109,276, filedAug. 19, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,483.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for preparing anice cream novelty product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of frozen novelty products are commercially available. Asconsumer tastes shift over time, it becomes important for commercialproducers of such novelties to alter their products to anticipate ormeet consumer demand. Frozen novelties over the years have included anumber of different additions to the basic formulation. For instance,ice cream novelties have been made which include spiral stripes of fudgesauce or the like along their exterior surface, chocolate coatings, ornuts sprinkled on top.

In recent years, ice cream and frozen yogurt products includingadditions of uncooked doughs and the like have become quite popular.These doughs have, for example, included discrete, rounded chunks ofuncooked cooled dough, particularly chocolate chip and peanut buttercoolde doughs. Such ice cream or frozen yogurt products are commonlymade by mixing preformed, frozen or semi-frozen chunks of the cooldedough and, perhaps, other ingredients into a semi-frozen ice cream base.The chunks of dough are thoroughly mixed with the basic ice cream andthis mixture is frozen to yield a fairly even distribution of doughchunks in the ice cream.

Frozen ice cream novelty bars and the like, as opposed to simplecontainers of ice cream products, remain quite popular for theirconvenience and the fact that they are generally packaged in singleservings wrappers. Since ice creams and frozen yogurts including doughsand the like have gained in popularity, manufacturers have beeninterested in producing frozen novelty products which include suchdoughs.

A wide variety of methods have been used in the past to include discreteadditions to frozen novelties. Such discrete additions include suchthings as fudge syrups (such as are used in "fudge ripple" ice creams),nuts, chocolate chips, and the like. Such flavoring agents are referredto herein as discrete additions as distinguished from vanilla orchocolate flavorings, stabilizers and the like which form a part of thesubstantially homogenous ice cream or yogurt phase of the novelty.

In one method of making such novelties, the novelty may be formulated ina manner substantially the same as that used for making ice cream oryogurt including discrete additions which are packaged in standardcartons and other common commercial packages for bulk ice cream. Forinstance, nuts or chocolate chips may be mixed in with semi-frozen icecream and this semi-frozen ice cream mixture may be dispensed intomolds. The ice cream mixtures in these molds can then be frozen toproduce a novelty having the desired shape.

Other ice cream novelties which have larger, continuous phases ofdiscrete additions can be made by a laminating process. For instance, anice cream novelty can be produced by forming ice cream into singleserving-sized bars. A discrete addition, such as a layer of caramel orthe like, may then be applied to the top of each of these bars. If sodesired, the composite laminated structure may then be coated with achocolate coating or the like by being dipped in or sprayed with achocolate coating solution.

Others have used injection techniques whereby discrete additions areinjected into pre-formed shapes of ice cream and the like. In such aprocess, a generally homogenous ice cream or yogurt may be formed into adesired shape and an injection mechanism can be inserted into the icecream blank. A flowable discrete addition, such as a fudge syrup or afruit compote can be injected into the ice cream blank.

Other frozen novelties have been made by a coextrusion process. In sucha process, the frozen novelty is extruded through a die having apredetermined shape and the extrudate exiting the die has a predefinedform. A frozen or semi-frozen ice cream or yogurt is commonly passedthrough a large channel and a discrete addition is added to the flow ofthe ice cream or yogurt through a separate tube which extends into theice cream flow, generally in a parallel relationship.

Such a coextrusion process is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,311,issued to Wight. The nature of the discrete additions which haveheretofore been added in such a coextrusion process have been ratherlimited. In particular, the discrete additions have generally had tohave substantially the same consistency and be at substantially the sametemperature as the surrounding ice cream matrix. For these reasons, suchcoextrusion processes have generally been limited to an ice cream oryogurt composition which may have a different color or a differentflavor from the generally homogenous ice cream matrix with which it iscoextruded.

None of the processes outlined above would appear to be particularlyeffective for use in adding uncooked doughs and the like to frozennovelties. It is believed that consumers generally prefer these discreteadditions of doughs to be in relatively large chunks to accentuate theheterogeneity of the product. The presence of such discrete additions ina product formed by the aforementioned methods can either make theforming method relatively difficult to execute or yield an unevenproduct with an undesirable appearance. For instance, if one were to adda dough in the lamination process outlined above, one would have to formthe dough into sheets and cut the sheets into smaller, thin sections ofabout the same dimensions as the underlying ice cream base. Applyingthese sheets of dough could be rather difficult in that the dough sheetscould present handling difficulties, and ensuring proper placement ofthe pre-formed sheet on each and every bar could be difficult toexecute.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a method for forming a frozennovelty including a dough or other similar product as a discreteaddition. Such a method should yield reproducible results and theresulting frozen novelty should have a uniform, attractive appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for forming composite frozennovelties which comprise an ice cream-like dessert composition havingdiscrete doughy additions therein. The dessert composition of the frozennovelties may be formed of an ice cream, a frozen yogurt, or any otherlike product. In accordance with the invention, a frozen novelty havinga discrete doughy addition in an ice cream-like dessert composition isformed by first providing an extrusion apparatus including a main diehaving an entrance and an exit disposed downstream of the entrance, andat least one intermediate die, the intermediate die being positionedwithin the main die at a location upstream of the exit of the main die.An ice cream-like dessert composition is introduced to the entrance ofthe main die in at least a semi-frozen state. A flowable discrete doughyaddition is extruded through the intermediate die at an elevatedtemperature. In one preferred embodiment, this elevated temperature isat least about 50° F. The dessert composition and the discrete doughyaddition are extruded together through the exit of the main die to forma composite extrudate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of an extrusion apparatus for use inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of a portion of the extrusion apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of a frozen novelty made in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the frozen novelty of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the extrusion apparatus ofFIG. 1 in conjunction with automated equipment for use in an automatedproduction environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the present invention, a frozen novelty product (70in FIGS. 3 and 4) is made by a coextrusion process having carefullycontrolled parameters, as outlined below. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate onepossible apparatus for use in carrying out the method of the invention.The extrusion apparatus, generally designated as 10, includes a mainextrusion die 20 and at least one intermediate extrusion die 40.

The main die 20 has an entrance 22 and an exit 30, with the exit beingdisposed generally downstream of the entrance 22 when the die is in use,i.e. material passing through the die moves from the entrance toward theexit. The main die 20 also includes a wall 24 which extends between theentrance and the exit, thereby defining an inner cavity 26 of the maindie. In a preferred embodiment, the wall 24 is generally conical inshape and decreases in cross sectional area in a direction from theentrance toward the exit.

The exit 30 of the main die can be of any desired shape. It iscontemplated, though, that the peripheral shape of the frozen novelty(70 in FIGS. 3 and 4) will be defined by the shape of the exit--thematerial being extruded will be forced under pressure through the exitand will be deformed by the die as it passes through the exit.Accordingly, the exit should be shaped in substantially the same sizeand configuration as that desired of the frozen novelty being produced.

In the embodiment shown, for example, the exit comprises a pair ofgenerally opposed sidewalls 32 and generally parallel top and bottomwalls (33 and 34, respectively). The opposed sidewalls 32 in FIGS. 1 and2 generally taper toward one another in the direction of the top wall 33such that the orifice defined by the walls, i.e. the exit 30, isnarrower adjacent the top wall than it is adjacent the bottom wall. Ascan be seen from FIG. 3, the resulting frozen novelty 70 has aperipheral shape which closely follows that of the exit.

If so desired, the walls 32, 33, and 34 defining the exit may alsoinclude a neck 36 disposed between the generally conically shaped wall24 of the body of the die. This will serve to effectively channel theflow of material through the die and will minimize the amount ofmaterial which becomes trapped in quiescent areas of the die. The use ofsuch a neck in an extrusion die has been used for much the same purposein, for example, in extruding plastics and the like.

The extrusion apparatus 10 also includes at least one intermediary die40. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the extrusion apparatusincludes two separate intermediate dies. It is to be understood, though,that any suitable number of dies may be employed to distribute thediscrete doughy additions passed therethrough in the frozen novelty 70in a desired configuration.

The intermediate die or dies 40 are positioned within the inner cavity26 of the main die. In a preferred embodiment, the intermediate die isdisposed at a position along the extrusion axis, i.e. the direction inwhich the material passing through the main die flows, between theentrance 22 and exit 30 of the main die. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, itis preferred that the exit 42 of the intermediate die 40 is positionedslightly behind the neck 36 of the main die. This helps ensure that thematerial passing through the inner cavity 26 of the main die intimatelycontacts the material exiting the intermediate die(s) as the finalnarrowing of the inner cavity will tend to urge the ice cream-likematerial in the main die into contact with the discrete doughy additionexiting the intermediate die. In one embodiment which has been found towork well, the intermediate die is positioned about 1-1.5 inches behindthe position at which the handle is inserted into the extrudate, asdetailed below.

The intermediate die or dies 40 generally include an extrusion chamber44 and an exit 42. Preferably, the extrusion chamber 44 tapers towardthe exit so that material being passed through the intermediate die willbe forced through the exit of the die under pressure and thereforeassume the shape of the exit. Hence, the shape of the exit tends todefine the general shape and size of the addition (74 in FIGS. 3 and 4)in the final frozen novelty 70. In the illustrated embodiment, each ofthe two intermediate dies has a relatively thin, elongate exit orifice,which may, for instance, be on the order of about 1/8 wide and about3-31/8" long. As detailed below in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4, thisyields a relatively oblong strip of the discrete doughy addition in thefrozen novelty.

In one desired embodiment, a pair of such dies are arranged in theinternal chamber in a spaced-apart relationship. Although the exits ofthe dies could be generally parallel to one another, in the embodimentof FIGS. 1-4 the dies are oriented at an angle to one another, with theexits 42 of the intermediate dies being closer to one another near thetop wall 33 of the main die exit than they are near the bottom wall 34of the main die exit. It is to be understood, though, that the exits ofthese intermediate dies may be of any suitable shape and the relativeposition of the dies can be arranged in any useful configuration toyield a desired product; the dies may be arranged, for example, todefine an artistic or representative design.

The intermediate die 40 of the extrusion apparatus 10 is provided with asupply of the desired discrete doughy addition. In the apparatus shownin the drawings, a supply of -the discrete doughy addition is providedto the pair of intermediate dies 40 via supply system 50. This supplysystem includes a stream splitter 52, flow metering means 54, and a pairof delivery conduits 56. In this embodiment, a single supply stream ofthe discrete doughy addition is provided to the supply system and isdivided into two substantially equal flows of the addition by means ofthe stream splitter 52. These separated streams pass through thedelivery conduits 56 and into the intermediate dies. The flow metetingmeans desirably is capable of detecting the flow through each deliveryconduit and use this information to balance the flows through thedelivery conduits so that they are substantially equal to one another.Such metering means are commercially available.

Since the intermediate dies 40 are positioned within the inner cavity 26of the main die, the delivery conduits 56 must intrude into this cavity26 to deliver the material to the intermediate dies. If so desired, thedelivery conduits may be arranged generally along the direction in whichthe dessert composition flows through the main die and extend from theentrance 22 of the main die forwardly to a rearward portion of theintended intermediate die. This will tend to minimize any disruption inthe flow of the dessert composition.

In the depicted embodiment, though, the delivery conduits 56 extend intothe inner cavity of the main die in a direction generally perpendicularto the flow of the dessert composition. The delivery conduits aredesirably spaced away from the exit 30 of the main die, though, at aposition wherein the wall 24 of the main die is still tapering inwardlytoward the exit. Sufficient space should be allowed for the dessertcomposition to flow around the delivery conduits yet be urged back intoa substantially solid mass again before exiting the die 20. This willhelp avoid unwanted air pockets in the frozen novelty 70 created whenthe dessert composition separates to flow around the delivery conduits.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the extrusion apparatus 10 of theinvention positioned for use in an automated production environment. Inthis embodiment, the extrusion apparatus is positioned with theextrusion axis (i.e. the direction in which the extrudate flows)oriented generally vertically, with the exit 30 of the main die beingoriented generally downwardly. A conveyor 100 may be positioned beneaththe exit 30 so that individual novelties 70 can be dropped from the exitonto the conveyor. The conveyor may be of any desired construction; astandard conveyor belt made of food grade plastic materials shouldsuffice.

In the configuration of FIG. 5, the extrudate exiting the extrusionapparatus is severed into a series of discrete lengths by means of acutting device. The length of the severed portions of the extrudate isoptimally selected to yield a frozen novelty of the desired size. Thecutting device may be of any suitable type known in the art, but in thepreferred embodiment shown in the drawing, the cutting device 90comprises a pair of opposed wire cutters 92. These wire cutters includea length of a wire 94 extending between arms of a frame 96 to hold thewire rigidly in place.

The wires of the wire cutters 90 are moved generally toward one another,cutting through the extrudate. In the version depicted in FIG. 5, thewire cutters move toward one another with the wires 94 oriented in adirection generally parallel to the strips of the discrete doughyadditions 74. It is to be understood, though, that the wire cutterscould be oriented at any angle, such as generally perpendicular to theadditions 74. Bringing the wire cutters 92 toward one another will tendto seer the extrudate to allow an appropriately sized length of theextrudate to fall onto the conveyor 100 for further processing, asoutlined below.

FIG. 5 also schematically illustrates an optimal location for insertinghandles 80 into the frozen novelties 70. In this embodiment, the exit ofthe die is provided with a slot 38 (best seen in FIG. 1) through which ahandle may be inserted into the extrudate as it exits the die. In theconfiguration shown in FIG. 5, the handles (which may be of any suitablemanually graspable shape) are smacked atop one another adjacent the slot38 in the exit of the die. As best seen in FIG. 2, the surface of thedie may be provided with a pair of opposed fingers 82 which serve as aguide for the ends of the handles in the smack. Handles may be urgedinto the slot and imbedded in the extrudate at suitable intervals toprovide a handle for each frozen novelty produced.

In accordance with the method of the invention, an ice cream-likedessert composition (72 in FIGS. 3 and 4) is introduced to the main die20 through its entrance 22 and a discrete doughy addition (74 in FIGS. 3and 4) is passed through the intermediate die or dies 40. The icecream-like dessert composition may be made of any desired formulation.For instance, in one particularly preferred embodiment it is formed of acomposition typical of the type normally used in commercially producedice creams, including milk protein, sweetening agents, starch, andwater, and may contain flavoring agents, stabilizers and the like. Onesuitable example of such a composition is set forth in U.S. Pat. No.5,122,626, issued to Huang, et al., the teachings of which areincorporated herein by reference.

It is to be understood, through, that the ice cream-like dessertcomposition need not be an ice cream product. For instance, this dessertcomposition may instead be an ice milk product or a frozen yogurtproduct. A variety of non-dairy alternatives having a consistency orflavor resembling ice cream, such as soy-based ice cream substitutes,are also known in the art and could easily be used in the dessertcomposition of the present invention. Although the dessert compositionin one preferred embodiment of the invention is smooth and relativelyhomogenous, one could include discrete additions such as fudge syrupsand relatively small particulate inclusions, e.g. chocolate chips, nutsor the like, which will not interfere with the effective extrusion ofthe dessert composition through the main die 20.

The discrete doughy addition 74 of the frozen novelty can be of anydesired composition which can be suitably extruded through theintermediate die(s) 40 at an appropriate temperature. As explainedbelow, the flowable discrete doughy addition is optimally extruded at anelevated temperature and has a viscosity of between about 5×10⁵ and5×10⁶ centipoise. Any desired formulation which can meet theseparameters and be passed through the exit of the intermediate die toyield a generally contiguous mass will be suitable for a frozen novelty70 of the present invention.

Although the discrete doughy addition need not be formed of a dough, inthe preferred embodiment of the invention this addition 74 is formed ofa confectionery dough composition. For instance, the addition 74 maycomprise a substantially uncooked brownie dough, which may have beenheated to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit or more for the purpose ofreducing microbial contamination, but the dough may remain substantiallyuncooked. In another exemplary embodiment, the addition comprises anuncooked cookie dough of a composition analogous to those used incommercially produced refrigerated cookie doughs.

In one specific example, the addition 74 may comprise a chocolate chipcookie dough having about 24 weight percent (wt. %) sugar, about 28 wt.% flour, about 0.49 wt. % each of soda and salt, about 0.78 wt. % eggyolk solids, about 0.89 wt. % albumin, about 13 wt. % shortening, about1.55 wt. % oil, about 10 wt. % water, about 2.1 wt. % molasses, about0.1 wt. % vanilla, about 17 wt. % candy pieces, and other trace amountsof other desired enrichments and flavorings. Such a cookie dough can beprepared in any conventional manner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,599, issued toWeber (the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference)teaches a dough having such a composition.

It has been discovered, though, that the presence of sizeableparticulates in the doughy addition, such as chocolate chips and thelike, can interfere with uniform, simple extrusion of the addition.Accordingly, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to use aformulation analogous to the one outlined immediately above, with thecandy pieces being omitted. As another example, it has been found that asugar coolde dough, such as is commercially available from Guernsey Dellof Chicago, Ill., is suitable for use in the invention.

In forming a frozen novelty 70 in accordance with the instant method, adesired ice cream-like dessert composition (72 in FIGS. 3 and 4) issupplied to the inner cavity 26 of the main die through the entrance 22of that die. This dessert composition is maintained in at least asemi-frozen state when it is introduced, but it may be in a frozenstate. In order to achieve the desired state of the dessert composition,it is desirably maintained at a temperature of no more than about 32° F.(°C.) and is preferably held at a lower temperature. For instance, acommercial ice cream mixture may be maintained at about 20° F. (-7° C.),yielding an ice cream having the consistency of "soft serve" ice cream,while a commercial composition for frozen yogurt may optimally bemaintained at a temperature of about 17°-18° F. (about -8° C.).

This chilled dessert composition is supplied to the main die 20 underpressure, forcing the dessert composition through the die in a directionfrom the entrance 22 to the exit 30. Optimally, the dessert compositionwill have a viscosity on the order of about 100,000 centipoise.

The discrete doughy addition, however, is introduced to the supplysystem 50 of the invention at an elevated temperature. Confectionerydoughs and the like tend to become rather firm and have rather poor flowcharacteristics at low temperatures. Accordingly, if a conventionalconfectionery dough were introduced into the extrusion apparatus 10 in achilled state, e.g. about the same temperature as the dessertcomposition, it would be rather difficult to produce a frozen novelty 70with an attractive, generally contiguous mass of the discrete doughyaddition 74. Although one could possibly alter the composition of theaddition 74 to make it flow more easily at lower temperatures, thiswould likely adversely affect the processing parameters used in makingthe frozen novelties and could affect the flavor and other organolepticproperties of the addition.

In order to ensure good flow properties in the discrete doughy addition,the addition is optimally introduced to the extrusion apparatus 10 at atemperature of least about 50° F, and perhaps significantly higher. Theaddition should be maintained in a range of about 500,000 to about5,000,000 centipoise and the viscosity of the addition will generally bepositively correlated with temperature. The actual temperature selectedwill depend on a number of factors, including the formulation of theaddition 74 and the viscosity of the addition as a function oftemperature.

For example, it has been found that a sugar cookie such as thatcommercially available from Guernsey Dell, noted above, introduced tothe supply system 50 at a temperature of about 55°-75° F. (about 13°-24°C.) yields an acceptable final frozen novelty. If a somewhat stifferaddition is extruded, though, the temperature may need to be evenhigher; if the discrete doughy addition is a brownie dough, thetemperature at which it is introduced to the supply system may range ashigh as about 115° F. (about 45° C.), depending upon the formulation ofthe brownie dough.

The discrete doughy addition 74 is supplied to the intermediateextrusion dies 40 at an elevated temperature and under pressuresufficient to cause the addition to flow through the dies at about thesame linear speed as the dessert composition 72 in the inner cavity 26of the main die. This will help ensure that the two components of thecomposite frozen novelty, namely the dessert composition 72 and thedoughy addition 74, will exit the main die at about the same linearrate, yielding a more uniform product. The linear speed of extrusion isa more reliable measure than the volumetric flow rate of the componentsbecause the relative volumes of the dessert composition and the additionin the desired frozen novelty may be significantly different.)

In the past, ice cream products and the like which have been coextrudedhave generally been formed of materials which are rather similar incharacteristics such as viscosity and, perhaps more importantly,temperature. For instance, in the process suggested by Wight notedabove, two slightly different ice cream compositions are coextruded.These ice creams would be of similar compositions and are apparentlyextruded at about the same temperature and have very similarviscosities. In the present invention, though, the discrete doughyadditions 74 will tend to exhibit rather poor flow characteristics atthe temperatures used to extrude the dessert composition and theviscosities of these two components tend to be markedly different. Asnoted above, the dessert composition optimally has a viscosity on theorder of about 100,000 centipoise, but the doughy addition has aviscosity on the order of about 500,000-5,000,000 centipoise, i.e. thedoughy addition has a viscosity which is optimally at least about fivetimes that of the dessert composition.

It has been found that extruding the dessert composition at atemperature of no more than about 32° F. and introducing the doughyaddition at an elevated temperature can yield the desired flow rates.One might expect the introduction of a warm or hot addition to a chilleddessert composition would have deleterious consequences on the dessertcomposition, such as poor texture due to rapid melting and subsequentrefreezing. Surprisingly, this marked temperature difference between thedessert composition and the addition does not significantly adverselyaffect frozen novelties made in accordance with the present invention.

The extrudate (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) leaving the exit 30 of themain die will therefore have a relatively warm doughy addition in achilled dessert composition. This extrudate is then introduced to afreezing chamber, which is optimally maintained at a temperature of nomore than about -35° F. (about -37 ° C.) and is held in the freezingchamber for sufficient time to chill the extrudate down to a suitablestorage temperature, e.g about -20° F. (about -29 ° C.). In order toaccelerate the cooling of the extrudate, the freezing chamber mayoptimally be maintained at an even lower temperature, such as about -50°to about -60° F. (about -45° to about -51 ° C.). The fleezing chambermay be of any desired construction and need not necessarily be enclosed,provided that the extrudate is held in an environment maintained at thedesired temperature.

If the pressure in the main and intermediate dies (20 and 40,respectively) is held at a constant elevated pressure, the extrudatewill tend to be formed as a long, continuous log. Since most frozennovelties are provided in single serving-sized portions, this long logwill generally have to be divided into a series of separate bars (71 inFIGS. 3 and 4) of a desired thickness and weight. This may beaccomplished in any desired fashion. For instance, the log may bedivided into separate bars by means of the cutting device 90 outlinedabove.

In an alternative embodiment, the pressure applied to the main andintermediate dies is not held at a substantially constant level forextended periods of time. Instead, the pressure is varied to yield aseries of periods of high pressure separated by periods of relativelylow pressure. This pulse extrusion technique would form the extrudate ina series of short segments, with extrusion substantially stopping duringthe periods of relatively low pressure. By effectively controlling thelength of the high pressure pulses, the length of the extrudategenerated in these pulses can be reproducibly controlled. The cuttingdevice 90, outlined above, may then be used to sever the extrudedsegment from the material remaining in the die.

The relative proportions of the dessert composition and the discretedoughy addition can be varied as desired. A bar having about 5 wt. % toabout 40 wt. % of the doughy addition is generally preferred, but thisrelative weight percentage can be varied.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed, it should be understood that various changes, adaptations andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit ofthe invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A frozen novelty having a discrete doughyaddition in an ice cream-like dessert composition, made by the processof:(a) providing an extrusion apparatus including a main die having anentrance end and an exit end disposed downstream of the entrance end,the exit end comprising two opposed sidewalls and a top wall generallyparallel to a bottom wall having a slot such that the opposed sidewallstaper toward one another and toward the top wall defining an orificehaving a greater diameter adjacent the bottom wall than a diameteradjacent the top wall, wherein the exit end is disposed downstream ofthe entrance end such that an ice cream-like composition passing throughthe main die moves from the entrance end toward the exit end followingan extrusion axis, and at least one intermediate die, the intermediatedie positioned within an inner cavity of the main die substantiallyparallel to the extrusion axis, wherein the intermediate die includes atapered extrusion chamber and an exit end disposed generally downstreamof the tapered extrusion chamber, wherein the exit end of theintermediate die comprises two generally opposed sidewalls and a topwall generally opposed from a bottom wall defining an exit orifice, theintermediate die being positioned within the main die at a locationupstream of the exit end of the main die; (b) introducing an icecream-like dessert composition to the entrance end of the main die in atleast a semi-frozen state; (c) extruding a flowable discrete doughyaddition through the intermediate die into the dessert composition; and(d) extruding the dessert composition and the discrete doughy additionthrough the exit end of the main die to form a composite extrudate. 2.The frozen novelty of claim 1, wherein the two opposed sidewalls of theexit end of the intermediate die are separated by a distance of about1/8 inch, and the top wall and bottom wall of the exit end of theintermediate die are separated by a distance of between about 3-31/4inches.
 3. An apparatus for producing a frozen extruded edible noveltyhaving discrete edible materials therein including:(a) a main diecomprising:(i) an entrance end; (ii) an exit end comprising two opposedsidewalls and a top wall generally parallel to a bottom wall creating aslot such that the opposed sidewalls taper towards one another andtowards the top wall defining an orifice having a greater diameteradjacent the bottom wall than a diameter adjacent the top wall, whereinthe exit end is disposed downstream of the entrance end; and (iii) awall extending between the entrance end and the exit end defining aninner cavity of the main die; (b) two intermediate dies positionedwithin the inner cavity of the main die substantially parallel to thedirection of extrusion, wherein each intermediate die comprises:(i) atapered extrusion chamber; and (ii) an exit end disposed generallydownstream of the tapered extrusion chamber, wherein the exit endcomprises two opposed sidewalls and a top wall opposed from a bottomwall defining an exit orifice; and (c) a discrete material supply systemlocated upstream from the intermediate dies comprising:(i) a streamsplitter capable of dividing a single stream into two substantiallyequal streams supplying each intermediate die, wherein each streampasses through a first delivery conduit connected to a downstream end ofthe stream splitter; (ii) a flow metering means connected at adownstream end of the first delivery conduit; and (iii) a seconddelivery conduit for each stream connected at a downstream end of theflow metering means and at an upstream end of the extrusion chamber ofthe intermediate die.
 4. The extrusion apparatus of claim 3, wherein thesidewalls of the intermediate die are separated by a distance of about1/8 inch.
 5. The extrusion apparatus of claim 4, wherein the top wall ofthe intermediate die is separated from the bottom wall of theintermediate die by a distance of between about 3 inches and 31/4inches.
 6. The extrusion apparatus of claim 3, further comprising anendless conveyor positioned substantially normal to the direction ofextrusion.
 7. The extrusion apparatus of claim 3, further comprising acutting means capable of severing an extrudate into individual noveltiespositioned adjacent to the main die exit and substantially normal to thedirection of extrusion.
 8. An apparatus for producing a frozen noveltyhaving a discrete dough addition in an ice cream-like compositioncomprising:(a) a main die comprising:(i) an entrance end; (ii) an exitend comprising two opposed sidewalls and a top wall generally parallelto a bottom wall having a slot such that the opposed sidewalls tapertoward one another and toward the top wall defining an orifice having agreater diameter adjacent the bottom wall than a diameter adjacent thetop wall, wherein the exit end is disposed downstream of the entranceend such that an ice cream-like composition passing through the main diemoves from the entrance end toward the exit end following an extrusionaxis; and (iii) a conically shaped wall extending between the entranceend and the exit end defining an inner cavity of the main die; (b) twointermediary dies positioned within the inner cavity of the main diesubstantially parallel to the extrusion axis, wherein each intermediarydie comprises:(i) a tapered extrusion chamber; and (ii) an exit enddisposed generally downstream of the tapered extrusion chamber, whereinthe exit end comprises two generally opposed sidewalls separated by adistance of about 1/8 inch and a top wall generally opposed from abottom wall, the top and bottom walls being separated by a distance ofabout 3 inches, defining a thin elongated exit orifice; and (c) a doughymaterial supply system located upstream from the intermediary diescomprising:(i) a stream splitter capable of dividing a single streaminto two substantially equal streams supplying each intermediary die,wherein each stream passes through a first delivery conduit connected ata downstream end of the stream splitter; (ii) a flow metering meansconnected at a downstream end of the first delivery conduit; and (iii) asecond delivery conduit for each stream connected at a downstream end ofthe flow metering means and at an upstream end of the extrusion chamberof the intermediary die; (d) an endless conveyor positionedsubstantially normal to the extrusion axis; and (e) a cutting meanscapable of severing an extrudate into individual novelties positionedadjacent to the main die exit and substantially normal to the extrusionaxis such that novelties drop to the conveyor.